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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SandyWeb on February 14, 2004, at 17:28:50
Hi all,
Has anyone tried Wellbutrin for inattentive ADD? I've just begun at 150mg per day. I will be increasing my dose from there.
Has anyone had good results? At what dose? I am not on any other meds for ADD, and I'm excited to finally try something to help.
So far it hasn't done anything. It may actually have made me kind-of tired....but that may just be a coincidence. The pharmacist told me it should be stimulating.
Thanks for any answers!
Sandy
Posted by PsychoSage on February 15, 2004, at 3:29:09
In reply to WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by SandyWeb on February 14, 2004, at 17:28:50
> Hi all,
>
> Has anyone tried Wellbutrin for inattentive ADD? I've just begun at 150mg per day. I will be increasing my dose from there.
>
> Has anyone had good results? At what dose? I am not on any other meds for ADD, and I'm excited to finally try something to help.
>
> So far it hasn't done anything. It may actually have made me kind-of tired....but that may just be a coincidence. The pharmacist told me it should be stimulating.
>
> Thanks for any answers!
>
> Sandy
>There is noting about it that should make you tired. It may make you irritable.
I have been off and on Wellbutrin for several years.
I started on it again last spring for inattention. I started with 150 and it was in fact stimulating. However, it did not really make me feel better, and I was not any more focused.It has a great side effect profile.
I am actually still on it. I was on 300XL, but I am on 300 SR now because of some changes in my insurance. 300XL was very convenient.
I think Wellbutrin is more of a norepinephrine drug than a dopamine drug.
I was told by my doc that it is very much similar to strattera and that switching to it would not yield much of a difference.
I am just starting provigil right now.
You may have a curbed appetite for a little bit on wellbutrin. Many people have lost weight on it.
Posted by HenryO on February 15, 2004, at 17:12:34
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by PsychoSage on February 15, 2004, at 3:29:09
Wellbutrin zapped my short term memory. It also gave me night terrors. I like Concerta much more for my ADD. But I'll tell ya, once I dealt with my depression I could concentrate much better. I only take Conerta occasionally now.
Posted by Kacy on February 18, 2004, at 10:42:10
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by PsychoSage on February 15, 2004, at 3:29:09
Below is something I wrote in another thread about my brief trial with Wellbutrin. It took a little over three weeks to work. It may be true that it's more of a norepinephrine drug than dopamine. It did help me with motivation and concentration. If you wanted to make sure it was norepinephrine you were getting, maybe taking it with vit C would help. That makes sense to me because C turns dopamine into norepinephrine.
"I have add/inattentive. The first drug that seemed to work for me was Wellbutrin. Unfortunately, I broke out in hives just as it reached therapeutic levels. That was about three and a half weeks after starting. I was taking 150 mg. first thing in the morning and, again, at noon. For a day, I felt hope and excitement because it was helping me concentrate. I was working at the computer and about two hours had passed without me realizing it. I was teaching myself html, something I had meant to do for a while. I couldn't believe I had been working at it with full concentration. (…It's been so long since I have been able to do something like that. As I have gotten older, my problems with inattentiveness have worsened.) Wellbutrin is a drug I recommend that you try. It increases both seratonin and dopamine. "
Posted by SandyWeb on February 18, 2004, at 14:11:52
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by Kacy on February 18, 2004, at 10:42:10
Hi Kacy,
When you first began Wellbutrin, do you remember if it made you sleepy? I'm just wondering how this med, with stimulant properties, affects people with ADD? I just began it and am only on 150mg SR. It makes me sleepy for the first 4 hours, and then it lifts. I can't imagine taking another 150mg in the afternoon....it would probably send me back into sleepy-land for another 4 hours.
I was looking forward to the ability to concentrate with this med. I am not hyperactive, so I'm surprised that it makes me sleepy. Do you know if the sleepys go away when the dose is increased?
Sandy
Posted by Kacy on February 19, 2004, at 6:55:11
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD » Kacy, posted by SandyWeb on February 18, 2004, at 14:11:52
I didn't have sedation problems with Wellbutrin. Strattera, though, works in a similar way. Many people, including me, have fought sedation with it.
With the first dose of 80 mg., sedation side affects started at about three or four weeks and passed within the next month. After the third month, I went to 100 mg. because the benefits had waned. At that dose, it took five months to get over it. Two days before an appointment with my doctor, it went away suddenly. I was going to drop it because I couldn't take the tiredness. The sedation came at noon and again late afternoon; that was with once a day dosing. When I tried taking it at night to fight that, I lost all benefit from the drug. Twice a day dosing didn't help because the drug didn't work for me then, either. For others, evening dosing didn't take away the benefits.
Maybe others with more experience with Wellbutrin can come in. You might try taking it at night. Some people have posted about taking a drug in the evening until they get used to it, and then switching it to mornings.
I would recommend hanging in there for at least a couple of months until the side affects pass. The benefits of the drug could be great. To my knowledge, there aren't any others like it although I just read about a new drug called duolexetine (or something similar) that sounded like it might be a Wellbutrin competitor.
Vitamin C is necessary to turn dopamine into norepinephrine. If you aren't taking C supplements, you might try adding that. B6 is important for that process, too. I'd add a healthy dose of those. That's what I've just begun trying to increase the effects of my ne drugs.
I'm inattentive/non-hyperactive as well. To say I'm not hyperactive would be to put it mildly. I tried a lot of foods to fight the sedation and it didn't work. Not eating, though, could trigger more tiredness. That isn't something I normally had to deal with as not eating had never caused me to get sleepy before.
Here are some eating tips from Dr. Amen's site:
"Proteins are the building blocks for brain neurotransmitters. Low levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine have all been implicated in depression and mood disorders. It is essential to eat enough protein in balanced amounts with fats and carbohydrates. Too much protein for some people may actually restrict the amount of "brain proteins" to cross into the brain. Not enough protein will leave you with a brain protein deficit. Here are some clues.
Low serotonin levels are often associated with worrying, moodiness, emotional rigidity and irritability (a combination of deep limbic and cingulate problems). To enhance serotonin levels, eat balanced meals with carbohydrate snacks (such as crackers or bread).
Low norepinephrine and dopamine levels are often associated with depression, lethargy, trouble focusing, negativity and mental fuzziness. To enhance norepinephrine and dopamine levels it is better to have protein snacks (such as meat, eggs, or cheese) and to avoid simple carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta, cakes and candy. "
I guess balance is the answer. I'm still working on getting that right.
Is anyone taking Wellbutrin at night?
Posted by micro on February 19, 2004, at 12:55:12
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by Kacy on February 18, 2004, at 10:42:10
> Below is something I wrote in another thread about my brief trial with Wellbutrin. It took a little over three weeks to work. It may be true that it's more of a norepinephrine drug than dopamine. It did help me with motivation and concentration. If you wanted to make sure it was norepinephrine you were getting, maybe taking it with vit C would help. That makes sense to me because C turns dopamine into norepinephrine.
>
> "I have add/inattentive. The first drug that seemed to work for me was Wellbutrin. Unfortunately, I broke out in hives just as it reached therapeutic levels. That was about three and a half weeks after starting. I was taking 150 mg. first thing in the morning and, again, at noon. For a day, I felt hope and excitement because it was helping me concentrate. I was working at the computer and about two hours had passed without me realizing it. I was teaching myself html, something I had meant to do for a while. I couldn't believe I had been working at it with full concentration. (…It's been so long since I have been able to do something like that. As I have gotten older, my problems with inattentiveness have worsened.) Wellbutrin is a drug I recommend that you try. It increases both seratonin and dopamine. "Hello, The true mechanism [pharmacology] of wellbutin is unknown. It is apparently has very weak ability to cause serotonin reuptake. It is not similar in any way to tetracyclics, tricyclics, ssris or any other antidepressants.
There are several online drug information lists for you to use free of charge. I hope this helps.
Regards, Micro
Posted by SandyWeb on February 19, 2004, at 13:46:49
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by micro on February 19, 2004, at 12:55:12
My Pharmacology textbook says: "Wellbutrin is a unique antidepressant similar in structure to amphetamine. Like amphetamine, this agent has stimulant properties and suppresses appetite. Antidepressant effects begin in 1-3 weeks and are equivalent to amitriptyline. The mechanism by which depression is relieved is unclear, but may be related to blockade of serotonin and NE uptake."
Just as an after-note, it adds: "At doses greater than 450mg/day, Wellbutrin produces seizures in about 0.4% of patients."
Sandy
Posted by micro on February 19, 2004, at 21:31:02
In reply to Re: WELLBUTRIN and ADD, posted by SandyWeb on February 19, 2004, at 13:46:49
> My Pharmacology textbook says: "Wellbutrin is a unique antidepressant similar in structure to amphetamine. Like amphetamine, this agent has stimulant properties and suppresses appetite. Antidepressant effects begin in 1-3 weeks and are equivalent to amitriptyline. The mechanism by which depression is relieved is unclear, but may be related to blockade of serotonin and NE uptake."
> > Just as an after-note, it adds: "At doses greater than 450mg/day, Wellbutrin produces seizures in about 0.4% of patients."
>
> Sandy
>
Sandy, I think we are on the same wavelength. Basically, its actions are unknown [referring to the drugs "method of action"]. The fact that it causes seizures is why the government witheld its release until the summer of 1989.
Regards, Micro
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